Hugh
Montgomerie, twelfth Earl of Eglinton, was the eldest son of Alexander
Montgomerie of Coilsfield. He was born about the year 1740, and entered
the army so early as 1755, as an ensign in Lieutenant-General's
Skelton's Regiment of Foot. He served in America during the greater part
of the seven years' war, where he acquired the reputation of a brave
soldier, and was fourteen years Captain of a company of the First or
Royal Regiment of Foot. His lordship told many interesting anecdotes of
the American campaign—among others, the following of Sir Ralph
Abercromby. That celebrated commander was leading an assault, at which
his lordship was present, upon an American fort, when, as they
approached, the enemv suddenly opened a tremendous fire on the
assailants, who for a moment were confounded, and stood still. Sir Ralph
marched on unmoved; but not hearing the tramp of the column behind, he
turned round as the smoke of the stunning volley was clearing away, and
pointing to the fort with his sword, exclaimed—"What! am I to take the
place ' myself? " The response was a hearty cheer, and a furious rush
upon the enemy, by which the fort was carried. At the same onset the
gallant commander was followed by a tall captain and a short lieutenant,
both of the name of M'Donald. The former was unfortunately shot in the
breast; and he reeled back upon the latter to measure himself with the
earth, and finish his career of glory. The brave lieutenant, who had not
observed the fatal cause of this retrograde movement, and fearing the
courage of his clansmen had given way, seized him by the coat, and in a
half whisper cried in his ear—"Remember your name is M'Donald." At the
breaking out of hostilities with France, in 1778, he was appointed Major
in Lord Frederick Campbell's Regiment of Fencibles, which was raised in
the counties of Aroyle, Bute, Dumbarton, Renfrew, Lanark, and Ayr, and
of which Lord Frederick was Colonel. This regiment was raised under the
joint influence of the Argyle and Eglinton families, the latter having
the nomination of officers for two companies—of one of which the last
Earl of Glencairn (on whose death Burns wrote the "Bard's Lament ") was
appointed Captain.

In 1780, at the general election, the Major was chosen Member of
Parliament for the county of Ayr, in opposition to Sir Adam Fergus-son
of Kilkerran, who had sat in the former Parliament. On this occasion an
expedient was resorted to by the candidates, in order to prevent their
friends among the freeholders, who might have troublesome creditors,
from being laid hold of at the critical moment of election. The
advertisement, which appeared in the newspapers of the day, is as
follows :—" In order to prevent vexatious diligences being used against
individuals in the shire of Ayr, by attacking the electors of either
party, at the eve of the Michaelmas Head Court, or upon the day of
election, in hopes of that critical period to recover payment, Sir Adam
Fergusson and Major Montgomerie, the two candidates, have agreed that,
in the event of any of the friends of either party being attacked, a
real voter present, in the interest of the opposite party, shall retire
out of court; which renders it vain for any person to think they shall
have a better chance of recovering payment, by using rash means, at this
particular time." He was again returned for the same county in 1784, but
"vacated his seat in 1789, by accepting the office of Inspector of
Military Roads; the duties of which he performed for some years with
assiduity, travelling on foot over extensive tracts of rugged ground in
the Highlands, for the purpose of ascertaining the proper courses for
the roads, to the great advantage of the public, by rendering the lines
shorter, and avoiding the expense of several bridges deemed necessary
under the former plans."

Among others who "followed to the field" was an
eccentric personage of the name of Tait. He was a tailor, and in stature
somewhat beneath the military standard; but he was a poet, and zealous
in the cause of loyalty. He had sung the deeds of the Montgomeries in
many a couplet; and, having animated the villagers with his loyal
strains, resolved, like a second Tyrtasus, to encourage his companions
at arms to victory by the fire and vigour of his verses. It is said he
could not write, nevertheless he actually published a small volume of
poems. These have long ago sunk into oblivion. Still "Sawney Tait the
tailor" is well remembered. He was a bachelor; and, like a true son of
genius, occupied an attic of very small dimensions. At the "June fair,"
when the village was crowded, Saunders, by a tolerated infringement of
the excise laws, annually converted his "poet's corner" into a temple
for the worship of Bacchus, and became publican in a small way. He was
himself the presiding genius, and his apartment was always well
frequented, especially by the younger portion of the country people, who
were amused with his oddities. He sung with peculiar animation ; and
failed not to give due recitative effect to the more lengthy productions
of his muse :—it might be in celebration of a bonspiel, in which the
curlers of Tarbolton had been victorious over those of the parish of
Stair—of a love-match—or such other local matter calculated to interest
his rustic hearers; by whom his poems were highly applauded as being "unco
weel put thegither." Some of his songs obtained a temporary popularity.
One, in particular, on Mrs. Alexander of Ballochmyle, was much talked
of, probably from the circumstance of the lady having condescended to
patronise the Anllage laureate, by requesting his attendance at
Ballochmyle, where he recited the piece—was rewarded—and afterwards
continued to be a privileged frequenter of the hall. Poor Saunders,
unluckily, was more in repute for his songs than his needle. He was, no
doubt, uncommonly expeditious; in proof of which it is told that on some
particular occasion he had made a coat in one day; but then his "steeks"
were prodigiously long, and with him fashion was out of the question,
abiding as he always did by the "good old plan." The result was, that,
while his brethren of the needle were paid eightpence a-day, Saunders
acknowledged his inferiority, by claiming no more than sixpence! The
military ardour of the poet was somewhat evanescent. Whether the duties
were two fatiguing, or whether his compatriots had no relish for
poetical excitements, we know not; but true it is that, in the dusk of a
summer evening, some few weeks after the departure of the fencibles,
Saunders was seen entering the village, leading a goat which he had
procured in his travels, and followed by a band of youngsters, who had
gone to meet him on his approach. "Sawney Tait" lived to a great age;
and retained his spirit and activity to the last.

On the declaration of war, by the French Convention,
against Great Britain and Holland, in 1793, seven regiments of fencibles
were ordered to be raised in Scotland for the internal defence of the
country. One of these, the West Lowland Fencibles, being under the
immediate patronage of the Eglinton and Coilsfield families, Major
Montgomerie was appointed Colonel. Glasgow was fixed as the
head-quarters of this regiment. The Colonel lost no time in beating up
for recruits throughout the west country, and especially in Ayrshire,
where he was eminently successful. At the village of Tarbolton alone, in
the immediate neighbourhood of his paternal seat of Coilsfield, a
company of volunteers were soon congregated; and the circumstance of
their departure for head-quarters is still remembered as a day of note
in the annals of the village. In the morning they were assembled round a
small hill or knoll at the village, called Hoods-hill, where the
Colonel had caused breakfast to be prepared for them, and where a vast
crowd had assembled to witness their departure. Mrs. Montgomerie and her
two daughters, the latter of whom were attired in scarlet riding-habits,
with Highland bonnets, together with the Colonel and several of the
neighbouring gentry, also breakfasted in a tent set apart for them. When
breakfast was finished, and the soldiers marshalled in close order, the
lady of Coilsfield, ascending a proper eminence on the hill, addressed
them in a neat and appropriate speech. She regretted the occurrence of
circumstances by which they were called from their homes; but she hoped
that Scotland would never lack the hearty support of her sons when a
foreign foe threatened invasion. To the women—some of whom were
assembled no doubt to take leave of their husbands or lovers—she
observed that, however disagreeable parting might be, it was a
bereavement which she herself, in common with them all, had to submit
to, and which it became them to endure with becoming resolution. Mrs.
Montgomerie concluded her address, during which she was repeatedly
cheered, by expressing a hope that peace would soon restore their
friends. The volunteers, who were in regimentals, and presented a very
fine appearance, then deployed in inarching order, the villagers
following and cheering them for several miles.

The old family of Coilsfield are still remembered for
their homely manner and kind attention to the people in the
neighbourhood. During the winter season, it was no uncommon thing to see
the old Laird at the loch, surrounded by a number of his elderly
tenants, in keen "curling contest" against the Major, with an equal
number of the more youthful villagers. These contests were always
terminated by a dinner of "beef and greens," and a suitable quantity of
punch, at the expense of the vanquished; and no person was more
delighted than the Laird when he happened to dine at the expense of the
Major.

The Major, like his father, was social in his habits;
and, among those who used to frequent the "big house," none were more
welcome to dinner than the famous John Rankine, the Baron Bailie of
Haughmerk—a small estate in the neighbourhood of Tarbolton, then the
property of one M'Lure, a merchant in Ayr, but which now belongs" to the
Duke of Portland. Rankine was locally well known for his wit and
Bacchanalian propensities; but he has been rendered more enduringly
celebrated by the epistle of Burns, in which the poet addresses him—

There are many anecdotes told of the Baron Bailie's
"cracks and cants." He had always a shilling to spend; and while he kept
the table in a roar, nothing gave him greater pleasure than to see his
cronies, one by one, brought under by the stout John Barleycorn. The
Bailie always seemed to drink fair ; yet very seldom got top heavy
himself. One device, by which he occasionally kept the bowl in
circulation, was a small wooden apparatus, on the principle of the modem
"wheel of fortune," which he called "whigmaleerie." Whoever whigmaleerie
pointed to was doomed to drink the next glass; and by this species of "
thimble-rigging" it may be guessed the Bailie seldom left many sober in
the company.

As an instance of the good old times, we may mention,
by way of gossip, that during Rankine's bailieship of Haughmerk, when
the Martinmas rents were paid, his tenants were convened at the house of
the miller on his estate, called the Mill-burn Mill, where ale and
British spirits had been retailed by each successive miller, from time
immemorial, and a good dinner and drink provided—the Bailie acting as
croupier. None went from the Mill empty; and some of the older people,
who never drank but once a-year, had frequently to be taken home in the
miller's cart.

The celebrated Laird of Logan was another frequent
visitor at Coils-field; and when there on one occasion with John
Hamilton of Bargany, a staunch supporter of the honour and credit of his
native district of Carrick, Mossman, a native of Maybole, was brought
before Mr. Mont-gomerie as a Justice of the Peace, on suspicion of
having committed an act of theft. Mr. Montgomerie called in the aid of
his friends, who were also in the commission of the peace, to
investigate the case, when it was resolved that the prisoner should be
sent to Ayr jail for trial.

The Laird of Logan assigned three reasons for
concurring in the warrant:—1st, Because the prisoner had been found on
the king's highway without cause; 2nd, Because he had "wandered in his
discourse;'' and, 3rd, Because he belonged to Carrick! The last was a
fling at Bargany, and had the effect intended of provoking him to a warm
defence of his district. Mossman suffered th'e last penalty of the law,
for the trifling theft with which he was charged, alongst with other two
felons, at Ayr, on the 20th May, 1785. At the execution of these
unfortunate men, the main rope by which they were suspended broke when
they were thrown off (it is supposed from having been previously
saturated with vitriol) ; and they remained in a half-hanged state until
a new rope was procured, to carry their sentence into execution.

Immediately after the West Lowland Fencibles had been
embodied, Colonel Montgomerie raised another corps for more extended
service, called the "Glasgow Regiment," which was disbanded in 1795, the
men being drafted into other regiments of the line. About this time the
Colonel was appointed Lieut.-Governor of Edinburgh Castle, in the room
of Lord Elphinston.

In 1796, he was again returned Member of Parliament
for the county of Ayr; but his seat became vacated almost immediately
after, having succeeded to the earldom of Eglinton, upon the death of
his cousin Archibald, the eleventh Earl, brother to Alexander, the tenth
Earl, who was shot in the well known affair with Mungo Campbell. Their
mother was the celebrated Countess of Eglinton, no less famed for her
mental accomplishments than her beauty. She was the patron of Allan
Ramsay, who dedicated "The Gentle Shepherd" to her, and a great
patroness of literature.

"While limited to the patrimonial revenue of
Coilsfield, the Colonel was distinguished for his good taste and public
spirit. No one maintained a more liberal establishment. His horses were
always of superior mettle, and his carriage the most handsomely mounted
in the district; but, by his succession to the title and estates of
Eglinton, a new and more extended field was opened. His predecessors,
Earlb Alexander and Archibald, had greatly improved their lands,
especially in the neighbourhood of Kilwinning. "They set the example,"
says a writer in 1803, "of introducing a new mode of farming—subdividing
the land—sheltering it by belts of wooding, and planting the little
rising mounts on their vast estates, by which means Ayrshire has become
like a garden, and is one of the richest and most fertile counties in
Scotland." Earl Hugh was not behind his predecessors. The first thing
which presented itself, as an object of improvement. was the old Castle;
which had been the family seat for nearly five hundred years. It was no
doubt sufficiently strong, bnt neither commodious nor elegant. He
therefore had it immediately pulled down, and a splendid new castellated
edifice erected in its stead. Of the buildings and lauds we are tempted
to quote the following description, written a few years after the
completion of the structure :—

"It is one of the finest and most magnificent
buildings in the West of Scotland; nor is the noble appearance without
disgrace by the finishing and furniture within—everything there is
elegant and princely. Its site is indeed low, and still more concealed
by being embosomed among fine old elms. It stands upon an extensive
lawn, which is converted into the most beautiful pleasure grounds.
Nature here has put on none of her bold and majestic features ; but art
has done mucb. Neither the towering rock, nor extended lake, nor
navigable river, adds to its magnificence; only a small river runs past
it on the east and north, which is rendered much broader than it
naturally is by being dammed back. On the banks of this stream the most
delightful walks are formed. As you walk along, at one time a thicket of
shrubbery conceals the water from your view, and at another it
unexpectedly bursts upon your sight, and raises the pleasureable
feelings, no less b}' surprise than by the beauty it displays; small,
however, as the river is, it adds much to the beauty of the scenery ;
and the vast number of trout, which on a fine evening are seen sporting
on its surface, tend much to increase those tranquil but pleasing
emotions, which the song of the grove and the smiling landscape never
fail to excite in the mind which has a taste for the beauties of nature,
and a heart fitted for relishing the enjoyment of innocent pleasures. To
these the humane and benevolent mind receives a vast accession, on
seeing around it the timorous hare sporting unmolested in numbers. This
persecuted creature finds here a safe asylum throughout this extensive
policy, which contains nearly fourteen hundred acres; not one of them is
allowed to be molested or killed. On the dusk of a summer evening they
reward his lordship's protection with their confidence, by often playing
their innocent gambols before him, round one of the largest and most
beautiful chestnut trees I ever saw, which stands on the green exactly
opposite to the house."

The Earl was an excellent farmer, and continued to
improve on the plans of his predecessors, by draining and cultivating
the waste lands, and otherwise increasing the value of his estates.
Among other instances of his lordship's anxiety to create sources of
local attraction may be mentioned the institution of "Bogside Eaces,"
which, during his lifetime, from being well attended by gentlemen of the
turf, were a vast benefit to the town of Irvine. (Under the auspices of
the present Earl these meetings have again been commenced.)

His attention, however, was by no means confined to
his own immediate locality, the affairs of the county, and indeed all
public matters, received a corresponding share of his attention. On the
death of the Earl of Errol, in 1798, he was elected one of the
representative Peers of Scotland, and was again re-chosen at the General
Election in 1802.

The most extensive of all the Earl of Eglinton's
undertakings was one which, although it proved in some measure ruinous
to himself, now bids fair to realise some of those advantages to his
descendants, which he, of course, never could expect to witness himself.
We refer to the formation of the harbour of Ardrossan, and the projected
canal from thence to Glasgow. The advantages presented by such a
proposal appeared so manifest to the Earl, that he entered upon the
speculation with the utmost enthusiasm, calculating upon his views being
at once seconded by the commercial capitalists of Glasgow and Paisley,
if not by some of the proprietors, whose lands would be considerably
increased in value by the canal. The primary object of the design was to
cut off the circuitous and even dangerous navigation of the Clyde,
which, previous to the introduction of steam-vessels, was a serious
obstacle to the growing commerce of Glasgow. The bay of Ardrossan
presented many natural advantages for an extensive harbour, having at
its entrance a depth of six fathoms at low water, and five to three
fathoms for more than one-half of its extent, with good anchorage,
wherein the largest frigates, as well as merchantmen, might ride in
safety; while, by cutting a canal to Glasgow, a ready transit for
commerce with the west was anticipated, besides opening an internal
communication through the most populous and important districts of the
country. The line of canal, as well as the harbour and docks, were
surveyed and estimated by the celebrated Mr. Telford. According to the
plan, the canal was to commence at Tradeston, in the suburbs of Glasgow;
thence stretching along by the manufacturing districts of Paisley,
Johnstone, etc., traversed one of the most remarkable seams of coal,
being from seventy to ninety feet in thickness. There were to be in all
thirty-one locks on the canal. In short, it was anticipated that
Ardrossan would become to Glasgow what Liverpool is to Manchester.

The Earl immediately set about the immense
undertaking by procuring two Acts of Parliament—one for the harbour, and
another for the canal; and on the 31st July, 180G, being the anniversary
of the birth of his eldest son, Lord Montgomerie, the foundation-stone
of the harbour was laid with more than usual masonic ceremony, and amid
a vast concourse of spectators.

" On the summit of the rocks Lord Eglinton caused
tents to be erected, in one of which were tables for three hundred
persons; there was also an elegant tent for the reception of the ladies.
The Freemasons of the ancient mother lodge, Kilwinning, with their Grand
Master, William Blair of Blair, Esq., and a party of the Saltcoats
Volunteers, with the band of the Ayrshire Rifle Battalion, proceeded
from the town of Saltcoats, along the shore to Ardrossan. Before the
procession arrived at the harbour, they were joined by the Earl of
Eglinton, accompanied by a number of the most respectable gentlemen of
the country and neighbourhood—by Mr. Telford, the engineer, etc. At the
moment, the procession, amidst crowds of spectators, arrived at the
pier, the Countess of Eglinton, attended by Lady Montgomerie. and above
fifty ladies of the first rank and distinction in the country, appeared
on the point of an eminence near the old Castle of Ardrossan, which
ovei'looks the bay. At three o'clock the principal foundation-stone, at
the point where the pier is connected with the shore, was laid by the
Grand Master with the usual solemnities. The Earl of Eglinton then
addressed the company in a very neat speech, in which his lordship
stated that though, in the course of nature, he could not expect to see
these works at the summit of their prosperity, he had no doubt that,
long after he and many of those who had given aid to the measure were
gone, the country would reap the advantages of them, and estimate their
true value. Then, after a very impressive and suitable prayer was given
by the Rev. Mr. Duncan, minister of Ardrossan, and immediately on a flag
being hoisted in the adjacent masons' shed, where the stone had been
prepared, a round was fired from eight field-pieces, placed near the old
Castle, and returned from two of his Majesty's cutters, which were
stationed in the bay, with twenty-one guns. Two tables, each a hundred
and twenty feet long, were laid, and upwards of two hundred persons sat
down to a splendid dinner, with choice wines, and every fruit of the
season, provided by the Earl of Eglinton. After dinner several loyal and
appropriate toasts were given. About seven o'clock, the Earl and his
Countess proceeded to Eglinton Castle, where a splendid ball concluded
the evening; at Saltcoats also various parties spent the evening in
dancing and festivity."

The cost of the harbour of Ardrossan was originally
estimated at .£40,000 ; but the work was not long begun before it was
evident, from unforeseen obstructions, that the sum would not half
complete it, while the merchants of Glasgow did not enter into the
scheme with that alacrity which had been anticipated—the city having
previously expended vast sums in deepening the Clyde. A company was no
doubt formed, and the canal ultimately cut as far as Johnstone; but, for
want of funds, it never went farther. Notwithstanding the lack of that
encouragement he had expected, Lord Eglinton continued to prosecute,
single-handed, the herculean task undertaken, although at a much slower
pace than he could have wished. He left no means untried to keep the
work advancing, having not only sold several valuable portions of his
estate, but incurred debt to a large extent; indeed, it is understood
that, previous to his death, he had expended on the harbour alone
upwards of £70,000, without the satisfaction of having completed what
had been so much an object of his solicitude. The Earl died, at an
advanced age, in 1819, after having for many years honourably discharged
the duties of Lord-Lieutenant of the county of Ayr, which were somewhat
arduous, especially during the three latter years of his life. So very
active and efficient indeed were his lord's services in that capacity,
that he obtained the approbation and applause of all parties. In the
Justiciary Hall of the County Buildings, Ayr, there is a painting of the
Earl, in the costume of the West Lowland Fencibles, painted by Sir Henry
Kaeburn, from the original picture in Egliuton Castle. This portrait was
done by subscription, and placed in the Hall as a tribute of respect to
his lordship's memory. His lordship was created a Baron of Great Britain
and Ireland in 180G, by the title of Baron Ardrossan of Ardrossan. He
was also a Knight of the order of the Thistle.

The character of the late Earl, like that of all
other persons who take a decided part in public affairs, has been
variously represented. Firmly attached to the Government, and resolute
in repelling civil innovation, as well as foreign aggression, his
opinions were of necessity not in unison with those whose politics were
of a less conservative description. In the army he was known to be a
strict disciplinarian; and, even at the head of his own Fencibles, he
sometimes occasioned excitement by the severity of his punishments. It
ought to be stated, in vindication of the Earl, that he had very bad
materials to deal with. As everyone that offered was enlisted in the
fencible regiments, they were consequently greatly mixed, and almost
proverbial for the many bad characters to be found in the ranks. Apart
from these considerations, the Earl was deservedly held in estimation.
No man possessed a greater degree of public spirit, or could be more
magnificent in his undertakings. In the case of the canal and harbour of
Ardrossan, the result proved his lordship to have been too sanguine; and
his estates certainly felt the paralysing effects of such a severe
encroachment on his resources; yet the speculation employed many hands,
and fed many families. In time it is to be hoped it will produce a
portion of the good anticipated from it. As one of the most steady of
the very few resident proprietors of Ayrshire, the Earl of Eglinton had
an undoubted claim to respect. Except when called away by his
parliamentary, and other public duties, he remained constantly at home;
and while he stimulated industry in his own neighbourhood, by his
presence and example, he was on all occasions the patron and active
promoter of whatever might tend to the improvement and prosperity of the
country at large. In seasons of commercial stagnation—and they were, and
still are of too frequent occurrence—his lordship was ever ready to
enter into any scheme of relief; and to the necessitous generally he was
a constant friend. In domestic life he displayed much of the spirit and
manners of the ancient baron. He was always accessible to his numerous
tenantry; and, notwithstanding a certain austerity of manner, lived on
terms of familiarity with those around him. Among the privileged
characters who used to frequent the Castle, Daft Will Spew, well
known in that quarter, was the most regular. On his way from the kitchen
one day after dinner, where he had been plentifully supplied, Will was
met by his lordship, who inquired where he had been. "Ou, ay," replied
"Will, in the act of polishing a pretty roughish bone, plenty o' freen's
whan a body has ocht. Yesterday, ye ne'er looked the road I was on."

Although Will knew that nothing provoked the Earl so
much as passing through his policies, yet he generally took the nearest
way, independent of all obstructions. In the act of crossing a fence one
day, he was discovered by his lordship, who called out—" Come back, sir,
that's not the road." " Do ye ken," said Will, " whaur I'm gaun ? " "
No," replied the Earl. " Weel, how the deil do ye ken whether this be
the road or no?" Tbe Earl was particularly careful about his policies,
and frequently prosecuted offenders with much severity. He was much
devoted to music as an evening amusement—performed on the violin with
considerable skill—and composed the popular tunes called " Lady
Montgomerie's Reel," and " Ayrshire Lasses," besides several other
admired airs—a selection of which was recently arranged for the
pianoforte, and published by Mr. Turnbull of Glasgow.

Although for several years a member of the House of
Commons, and deeply interested in the political questions of the day,
the Earl was never distinguished for his oratory. Better qualified for
the camp or for the field, he wisely refrained from attempting to
contend in the arena of debate ; but in all practical matters his
assistance was equally ready and efficient. The following lines by Burns
are truly descriptive of his character:—

"Thee, sodger Hugh, my watchman stented,
If bardies ere are represented:
I ken, if that your sivord were Mranted,Ye'd lend your hand;
But when there's ought to say anent it,
Ye're at a stand."

The Earl married Eleanore, fourth daughter of Robert
Hamilton, Esq. of Bourtreehill, in the county of Ayr, and sister to
Jean, Countess of Crawford and Lindsay; and had by her two sons and two
daughters. The eldest, Archibald Lord Montgomerie, died while abroad for
his health in 1814. Lord Montgomerie married Lady Mary Montgomerie,
eldest daughter of Archibald, the eleventh Earl of Eglinton, by whom he
had two sons. The eldest, a boy of great promise, died when about six
years of age. He was much caressed by his grandfather, with whom he
resided; and who caused an elegant column of white marble to be erected
to his memory in a sequestered spot among the woods, near Eglintou
Castle. The secoud son, Archibald, born in 1812, is the present Earl of
Eglinton. During his minority it is understood the estate was relieved
of many of the burdens on it. On obtaining the management of his own
affairs in 1833, his lordship re-commenced the works which had been so
long suspended at Ardrossan; and we learn that that harbour is now the
most prosperous on the whole Ayrshire coast. The new railway betwixt
Glasgow and Ayr—in promoting which his lordship assiduously exerted
himself— now adds considerably to the importance of the harbour. He was
Major-General, and a gallant officer; much esteemed and beloved. The
second, the Hon. Roger Montgomerie, who was a Lieutenant in the navy,
fell a victim to pestilential disease, at Port Royal, Jamaica, in
January, 1799.

Lady Jane remained unmarried till after her father's
death. She was remarkable for every domestic virtue which could adorn
the female character; and during her long residence at Eglinton Castle,
a great portion of her time was occupied in attending the sick and
relieving the destitute. To her care the present Earl was entrusted
during his early years—a trust which she performed with the utmost
affection and fidelity ; and, so far as can yet be judged of the young
Earl's conduct, he will not belie the promise of so excellent a
guardian. Lady Jane was married only a few years ago to Archibald
Hamilton, Esq. of Blackhouse, late of the East India Company's service.
They reside at Roselle, a seat of the Earl of Eglinton, in the immediate
neighbourhood of Ayr; where she continues to practise those charitable
virtues which so much distinguished her earlier years.

Lady Lilias was married at Coilsfield, on the 1st
February, 1796, to Robert Dundas M'Queen, Esq. of Braxfield, who died in
1816. Her ladyship afterwards married Richard Alexander Oswald, Esq. of
Auchincruive,

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